The Relationship of Reading Achievement of Students with Disabilities and Least Restrictive Environment Practices

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between Kentucky least restrictive environment (LRE) practices and the state’s assessment annual measureable objectives (AMO) in reading for students with disabilities. This research was designed to determine whether districts achieved AMO targets for reading within LRE, and whether a relationship exists between special education students’ placement and assessment scores attained for the disability subpopulation in the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) Reports. Results from this study indicated that one district achieved the scale score for reading achievement. Nine districts achieved reading AMO targets due to safe harbor, while nine districts achieved reading AMO due to confidence interval for students with disabilities. Also, the results indicated a higher correlation for students who received services in a separate location for less than 20% of the school day